Coupling for controlling-rods of brakes between railway and other vehicles.



PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907.

A J. REID.

COUPLING FOR CONTROLLING RODS OF BRAKES BETWEEN RAILWAY AND OTHERVEHICLES;

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3, 1906.

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oiTTTTn sTATTs PATENT oTTroT.

AUBREY JAMES REID, OF NORTH SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

COUPLING FOR CONTROLLING-RODS OF BRAKES BETWEEN RAILWAY AND OTHERVEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1907.

Application filed December 3 1906. $erial No. 346,016.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUBREY JAMES RED), a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Mount street, North Sydney, in the State of NewSouth WVales and Common wealth of Australia, bank clerk, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Coupling for Controlling- Rods of BrakesBetween Railway and other Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in couplings forcontrolling rods of brakes between coupled railway and other vehiclesand it has been specially devised to produce such a coupling or couplingmechanism that the operating and transmitted power for the series ofbrakes will be adjusted or compensated as the vehicles oscillate ortravel around curves or part and close on their buffers But in orderthat this invention may be clearly understood reference will now be madeto the drawings accompanying and forming part of this completespecification showing brake appurtenances according to these presentimprovements as applied to railway or tramway vehicles.

Figure 1 is a plan of the compensating coupling for the controlling rodsof coupled vehicles. Fig. 2 is a plan of a modified construction of suchcompensating coupling for controlling rods.

When it is desired to operate the brake on two or more vehicles of atram synchronously the compensating coupling shown in Fig. 1 is applied.The controlling or pull rods 29 are carried the whole length of thecoupled cars and on the ends which terminate at the individual car thereare hand wheels 32 screwed to fit a thread out on said rods 29 and underordinary conditions these wheels 32 with their respective rods 29 arefree to work in the fixed blocks but when it is desired. to uncouple thecars the brakes can be secured either on or off by the adjustment ofsaid rods by the wheels 32.

Fixed in a suitable position under the car body are bearings 33, 34 and35 the last being held in a horizontal curved slot 36. Two drums 37 and38 are key ed to the same shaft 39 in bearings 33 and 34 and anotherdrum 40 is on a shaft 41 connected by the universal joint 42 to shaft39. The two drums 37 and 38 are wound with anchored flexible wire ropes43 and 44 in opposite directions which after passing round the drumspass the fixed guiding pulleys 45 and 46. The rope 43 on drum 37 iscarried to the head stock 47 of the next vehicle and is secured say bysnap hook 48 to stem of the spring 49 While the rope 44 on drum 38likewise is fast to a headstock 50 at a point equidistant from thecenter of the vehicle. On drum 40 the rope 51 after being anchored toand coiled round said drum is carried to the controlling or pull rod 29on the next vehicle and snaphooked thereto. The'other end of said lastmentioned pull rod 29 terminates in a hand wheel 32 and has geared to itthe operating mechanism (not shown.) The other pull rod 29 of thevehicle likewise has a handwheel 32 and at its further end is jointed tothe shaft 41 carrying the drum 40 of the connecting rope 51.

If the vehicles are running on a straight road the tension on the ropes43 and 44 keeps drums 37 and 38 in. equilibrium but any oscillation ofthe cars will cause one or other of the drums 37 or 38 to either wind upor unwind respectively according to the direction of the oscillation andthe revolution of the shaft 39 imparted to shaft 41 by the universaljoint 42 will cause drum 40 to un wind or wind up in proportion as thedistance between the controlling or pulling rods 29 varies and therebymaintain the rods 29 at a constant distance from each other. When thetension is put on the pull rods 29 in either direction drum 40 with itsshaft 39 is free to work with its bearing 35 in the quadrant guide 36and the rope 51 will actuate the connected pull rod 29 of the nextvehicle;

The construction of this compensating coupling may be modified as shownin Fig. 2 and it is best so modified when applied to railway trains asit further compensates or overcomes the varying distances betweenvehicles due to the opening and closing of buffers. Parts of thiscompensating coupling are identical with those described with referenceto Fig. 1 and bear the same distinguishing members. But in this case theconnecting rope 43 for windin or unwinding the first drum 37 isdispensed with and the winding is performed by the rope 43 which passesover the loose purchase pulleys shown at 55 and 56 and the springs 57 inthe sliding bridle 58 take up any slack in the ropes 45 and 51 owing tothe closing or unclosing of the buffers and the drum 40 on re volvingshaft 41 maintains the requisite tension between the controlling or pullrods 29.

Having now fully described and ascertained my said invention and themanner in which it is to be performed I declare that what I claim is 1.Improvements in brakes for railway and other vehicles, having incombination with two coupled vehicles, a longitudinally movablebrake-applying member on each vehicle, flexible couplings connecting themembers of the two vehicles, and a compensating device including thedrum connected to the members for maintaining the operative len th ofthe members constant under all conditions.

2. A brake for railway and other vehicles having in combination twocoupled vehicles and a longitudinally movable brake-applying member oneach, connections between the members, such connections including adrum, a flexible connection with the drum, and a brake-applyin member ofthe coupled vehicle, and means for rotating the drum as the distancebetween the vehicles and their alinement varies. I v

3. A brake for railway and other vehicles having in combination alongitudinally movable brake-applying member upon each vehicle, a drumconnected to and operated by a member on one vehicle and a flexibleconnection between the said drum and the member of the coupled vehicle,a second drum connected to and adapted to rotate the first drum, and aflexible connection between the second drum and the coupled vehicle forrotating the said drum as the distance between the vehicles and theiralinement varies.

4. A brake for railway and other vehicles having in combination alongitudinally movable brake-applying member on each vehicle, aplurality of drums carried by one vehicle and carried to thebrake-applying member thereon, -a flexible connection between one ofsaid drums and the brakeapplying member on the coupled vehicle, andflexible connections between the other drums and the coupled vehicle,the said connections being connected to the coupled vehicle on oppositesides of the coupling.

5. A brake for railway and other. vehicles having in combination a shaftupon one of the vehicle, and carrying a drum, asecond shaft connected tothe first shaft by a universal joint, and carrying a drum, a flexibleconnection with the second drum and a brake-applying mechanism for thecoupled vehicle, a flexible connection between the coupled vehicle andthe first of the drums, means for keeping the second flexible connectionunder tension, and means for bending the second shaft at the universaljoint.

6. A brake for railway and other vehicles characterized by controllingpull-rods connected at one end to a revolving drumon one vehicle andconnected by flexible connection at the other end to a similar revolvingdrum on the coupled vehicle, the shafts of the said drums being adaptedto move longitudinally relatively to the vehicle and revolubly as movedby either of two other drums controlled by connecting flexible means tothe coupled vehicle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUBREY JAMES REID.

Witnesses:

PERCY NEWELL, M. J. CANDRIoK.

